


fifty dollars' worth

by oldpapertowns



Series: chemical christmas 2020 [13]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Ficlet, Gen, Target, chemical christmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:34:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28060047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oldpapertowns/pseuds/oldpapertowns
Summary: the gaang goes to target
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko, The Gaang & The Gaang
Series: chemical christmas 2020 [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036416
Kudos: 79





	fifty dollars' worth

**Author's Note:**

> day 13 of chemical christmas - candle! prompt list by @saintmichale_ on instagram
> 
> this is being posted way later than it shouldve been but hey its still the 13th
> 
> this can technically be read as part of my college au

Aang: Hi, my lovely fucknuggets! Please come to Sokka and Katara’s house with money and a socially acceptable outfit tomorrow at 9 AM. We’re going on a group date!

Sokka: Youre not gonna make dad or bato supervise us are you   
Sokka: You wouldnt dare

Aang: (innocent face)

Toph: Did you really just type out “innocent face”

Aang: Yes! (happy face)

Zuko: why do you always have to plan these group dates during my scheduled naps

Toph: Sparky you’re always napping

Suki: CATBOY!!

Sokka: Suki pls i told you that in private

Toph: Where are we going?

Katara: it’s a surprise. perfectly accessible, i promise.

Sokka: Wtf you were in on this and didnt tell me anything??

Katara: :)

Sokka: Oh whatever   
Sokka: If youre making the dad unit come with us im going to put my socks on your pillow

Katara: okay

Sokka: My dirty ones.

Katara: oh. hmm.

Aang: We’ll keep that in mind!

Sokka: Good   
Sokka: See yall tomorrow then i guess

~!~

Zuko gets to Sokka’s house early, texting him when he’s outside. Sokka opens the door with a grin and a quick kiss, and the two of them make their way upstairs. Zuko passes Katara’s room and catches sight of Appa outside the door. He hides a smile. It seems Aang had the same idea as Zuko.

The time passes incredibly quickly and before they know it, both Suki and Toph have arrived, the latter announcing her presence with a yelled, “Sup, shitheads!”

Zuko and Sokka make their way downstairs to find the others waiting for them.

“Good, we’re all here.” Katara grabs the car keys out of the bowl they’re kept in. “In the car, everyone!”

Zuko sees Sokka’s eyes widen in alarm. Sokka half-raises a hand. “Uh, Katara? Are you driving us?”

“She is not!” Aang says with a grin, sliding his arm across Katara’s waist and plucking the keys out of her hand in a smooth motion.

“I am not,” Katara agrees with a badly concealed smile, then kissing Aang briefly. She pokes her tongue out at Sokka when he makes gagging noises.

Zuko shoots a questioning look at Sokka as they make their way towards the car parked in front of the house.

“Katara sucks at driving,” Sokka explains with a smile and a shake of his head. Zuko nods in understanding.

Hakoda and Bato, deemed “The Dad Unit” by Sokka, don't come with them. Zuko’s not sure if it’s because of Sokka’s dirty socks threat or not.

His attention’s redirected when he realizes the car only seats five people. “Where do I… sit?”

Sokka grins and pats his lap, wiggling in his window seat. “Right here, baby!”

Zuko stares in disbelief. “I am not sitting there.”

Two minutes later, he’s sitting in Sokka’s lap, the seatbelt having been stretched to an extraordinary length. “This cannot be safe,” he grumbles, the top of his head brushing the roof of the car.

“You’ll be fine,” comes Sokka’s voice from right behind his head.

Zuko makes a face instead of responding. Sokka kisses the skin behind his right ear.

“Do I get to know where we’re going now?” Toph asks after she’s seated in the middle seat, buckling herself in with only a few misses of the buckle.

Aang exchanges a look with Katara then nods, starting the engine. “Target!”

...Huh?

“Pakku gave me six Target gift cards he had left over from some event,” Katara explains. “He said that he had no use for them and that they’d expire soon.”

Sokka perks up. “How much is in each card?”

Katara grins at him over her shoulder. “Fifty dollars.”

Suki whistles. “And we each get one?”

Katara’s grin gets wider. “Yep.”

Sokka whoops. “Hell yeah! Thanks, Tara.”

“No problem, Socks.”

At Target, Zuko nearly stops in the entrance, gazing around at everything. There are a  _ lot _ of things to take in.

“Never been to a Target before?” Sokka asks, lacing their fingers together. Everyone else scatters into the store.

“No, actually,” Zuko says, trusting Sokka to not let him bump into anything as he stares.

Something sad flickers over Sokka’s face for half a second before he grins. “Well, you’ve got me to show you around. Anything in particular you want to see?”

Zuko shakes his head, so the pair wind their way around the (really,  _ really _ big) building. Sokka winds up buying 50 dollars of music CDs in the music section, and they continue their way through the store.

“Are those…” Zuko trails off, looking into an aisle that seems to hold a bunch of glass cups.

“Candles! You wanna smell them?”

Zuko hesitates, then remembers how he always used to stare into the candle flames whenever he was at Uncle’s, the calm that had settled over him while looking at the flickering light.

He nods, and Sokka pulls him into the aisle with a grin. “Let’s start on this side.”

Zuko looks at the literal hundreds of candles. “How long is this going to take?”

“Not long.” Sokka sticks a candle in front of Zuko’s face. “Sniff.”

Zuko does obediently, then makes a face at the overly powerful scent. “Smells bad.”

Sokka laughs, and the two of them go down the aisle, picking out the ones that don’t smell horrible.

At the end, Zuko has 8 candles in the cart. Sokka sidles up next to him.

“Are you getting all of these?”

Zuko casts an eye over the eight candles, gaze catching on the one called ‘sea mist.’ He reaches over to grab another one, then nods decisively. “I’m getting all of these. The gift card should cover all of them.”

Sokka grins and gives Zuko a quick kiss. “Okay, hotman. You ready to check out?”

Nodding, Zuko hooks an arm through Sokka’s and the two of them make their way to the checkout counter. He sticks out the gift card when all the candles have been scanned, and they’re free to go.

Toph, Aang, and Suki are already waiting in the doorway. Aang smiles when he sees them.

“What did you guys get?”

Sokka grins and holds up his bag. “Fifty dollars of CDs!”

Aang blinks. “That’s… to be expected. What about you, Zuko?”

Zuko holds up his bag with a slightly sheepish smile. “Fifty dollars of candles.”

“You guys have no variety,” Toph complains as Katara makes her way over to them. “What’d you get, Sugar Queen?”

“Fifty dollars of stationery,” Katara says with a smirk, apparently having heard their entire conversation.

Toph and Aang groan as Sokka and Suki high five Katara. Zuko just watches his friends, a tiny smile on his face.


End file.
